Received email from subpress that they shipped a package to me, should be the sign limited Shining. Bad thing is it goes across the country before it get's here, there office (Clawson, Mi) is 1/2 mile from my office and there warehouse (Burton, Mi)is about 5 miles from my house!!!

So my copy is being delivered to my sister in London to avoid import duties New Zealand customs have started charging, and so I won't see my copy until June. That being said I'm a bit worried as other collectors who have received theirs have noted damage to the cover of the book where the paper has rubbed ink off in to the inside of the tray case, and leaving a mark on the book itself.

jimimck wrote:So my copy is being delivered to my sister in London to avoid import duties New Zealand customs have started charging, and so I won't see my copy until June. That being said I'm a bit worried as other collectors who have received theirs have noted damage to the cover of the book where the paper has rubbed ink off in to the inside of the tray case, and leaving a mark on the book itself.

Fingers crossed mine is ok. Has anyone here experienced this?

I haven't seen my copy yet, but tdt.org has a poll up on it with 15 people saying they have rubbing, vs 3 that are fine. I have not seen mine yet but should have it within a couple days.

I hope I'm not rushing to judgment here but that sort of early ratio makes me think the rubbing issue is going to be very widespread. I know there are likely a few PC copies floating out there, but I think not nearly enough to replace the number of copies that will wind up having damage.

I don't think this is one of those things you can just swap out, so if this IS as widespread as I'd guess, the choices are going to be
a) Refund & give back the book
b) Live with it

Sure there will be a lot of discussion, hand-wringing, (virtual) shouting, and probably some official response from Sub Press, but at the end of the day if we go much above this 15-20 number, then that's going to be the bottom line....What will it do to prices on the secondary market? Well that's going to depend on the level of damage, what happens to the books that are sent back, etc. I think pristine copies or ones with very light damage will go for a real premium over the usual bump in price.

EDIT: I just saw this response from Sub Press:

Hi all,

We decided not to wait until Monday to address The Shining issues. I'm fresh off the phone with various members of my staff, and here is what we have to offer, in addition to our apologies that our edition didn't come together as well as planned.

The largest problem with the books is not related to the traycases directly, though it's undeniable that some color transfer is occurring. The books are what is known as a three-piece case, with one material used for the spine, and the hand-marbled paper covering the rest of the boards. The bulk of the scuffing occurred during the manufacturing process, not in our packing and handling of the books, or while being shipped. In case anyone is wondering, we have used hand marbled paper in the past, without issue, though the prior times were limited to hand bound lettered editions.

The bad news is that I do not have a solution to offer you for the books themselves. The scuffing is endemic, including my personal copies. If this is a deal breaker for you, I completely understand, and will refund what you paid for the book and shipping (both to receive the book and return it).

Everyone who chooses to keep their copy will receive:
1. A replacement traycase upon receipt of proof that yours suffered from more than minimal color transfer;
2. A dust jacket created especially for the limited edition;
3. A coupon code good for $40 off any purchase later this year through the SubPress website.

I apologize that the remedies I'm offering do not extend to the physical books themselves. There is no way to recall every copy, have them cut up, and then rebound.

Those who wish to take advantage of our offer may write to me at subpress@gmail.com. Please also do so if you would prefer a refund.

I understand some of you may not be happy with the refund or remedy offered. Again, I would appreciate if folks would remain courteous in emailing me.

While you have to appreciate that SP are trying to do what they can to remedy the situation, the bottom line is this is just crap IMO.

There should have been better quality checks throughout the process, and to be in a position when one of the most anticipated S/L's of King's books is being delivered with this kind of damage is not good enough. SP has enough experience to understand what book collectors expect out of their purchases, and I think they are going to receive all sorts of flak from this issue.